“How does Will put up with you?” Aidan teased, then thanked Gail before following Jess outside.
Jess smiled at the question. “I wondered the same thing myself for a very long time. He claims to love me. I guess love really does make people stop using their brains. Gram’s always telling us to listen with our heart, not our head.”
Aidan settled into a rocker and set it in motion, closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy the cooling effect of the breeze from the bay.
“May I ask you something?” he ventured after several minutes of silence.
“Sure,” Jess said.
“Most everyone I’ve met in your family seems to believe love can overcome anything, is that right?”
She laughed. “Personally I think it’s a character flaw, but yes. And since it’s worked in my favor with Will, I’m really in no position to express my doubts.” She gave him a penetrating look. “Is this about Liz? I’ve seen you together and I’ve heard all the speculation. Are you two an item?”
“Not exactly,” Aidan admitted.
“Why not?”
“She needs someone in her life she can trust,” he began.
Jess frowned. “And you can’t be trusted?” she demanded indignantly.
“Settle down,” he urged, smiling. “Of course I can be, but there are things about me she needs to know and I’m not yet at liberty to discuss them.”
“Bad things?” Jess asked, “The kind that might be a deal breaker?”
“I honestly don’t think so,” Aidan replied. “The real issue is that I’ve kept them a secret. A lot of people would understand that kind of obligation, but it’s especially hard for Liz.”
“Because someone in her life lied to her about something important?” Jess concluded.
Aidan nodded. “But that’s another of those things I’m not at liberty to discuss.”
She nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. “That makes sense. She clams up when anybody tries to get too personal. We’ve all wondered about that, because she’s generally so upbeat and open.” She regarded him curiously. “So what are you asking?”
“Do you think we can get past this? Can love really conquer all that distrust and lack of openness?”
Jess smiled. “My husband and certainly my family would say yes, but that it might take patience and determination.”
“I have those things,” Aidan said. “I’ll hang in as long as I need to. I may not know much and I have zero experience with the kind of love we’re talking about, but I’m smart enough to recognize that Liz is worth waiting for.”
“Good answer,” Jess said approvingly. “I’m not in the advice business. That’s my husband’s territory. I will say this, though. Whatever this secret is, make sure she’s the first to know when you can talk about it. She needs to hear it from you, not from the Chesapeake Shores grapevine.”
“Thanks,” Aidan said, meaning it. He now knew exactly what he needed to do. He needed to get Thomas’s assurance that no one would find out the results of that DNA test before he could fill Liz in. Fortunately he had a little time to put that plan into place.
* * *
Back in town, Aidan showered, changed, grabbed a late lunch, then started making calls to try to locate Thomas. He missed him at the office in Annapolis, and Connie reported that he hadn’t yet arrived home.
“Want me to have him call you when he gets in?” she asked. “Or do you want to try his cell phone, not that he ever pays a bit of attention to it when he’s on the road. He usually gets my messages as he’s walking up the driveway, too late to stop for the milk or whatever else I might need from the store.”
Aidan laughed. “Sounds as if that could be deliberate.”
“Don’t I know it?” she said, laughing with him. “We’ve discussed it a time or twenty. Still, you could try. He might take your call.”
Since Aidan wasn’t a big fan of cell phones on the road, he refused. “Just ask him to call me when he gets in.”
“Will do.” She hesitated, then said, “Aidan, I know you must be on pins and needles about that test, but I don’t have a single doubt that you’re a part of this family.”
Aidan was surprised to discover that his eyes were stinging at her reassurance. “Thank you. I don’t want to disrupt anyone’s life. I came here because I needed to meet my father, not to get anything from him, just to know more about who I am.”
“Good heavens, no one is going to judge you for trying to get to know your father. Don’t you know that our hearts will be open to you once the truth comes out? I realize it may not have seemed that way when you first told Thomas, but he was in shock. Now that he’s had time to get used to the idea that he’s had a son all these years, he’ll accept whatever role you want him to play in your life. You’re a grown man now, so it’s between the two of you to decide what comes next. I hope you’ll want to spend time not just with him, but with all of us.”
His voice thick, Aidan said, “I see now why Thomas fell in love with you. You’re pretty amazing.”
“Not so amazing,” she said. “I just love my husband and his family. And he’s done the same with my daughter. It’ll all work out, Aidan. I know it will.”
Aidan replayed her words several times in his mind as he sat on the balcony and awaited a call back from Thomas. But rather than the phone ringing, an hour later there was a knock on his door. He found Thomas standing there, an envelope in hand. Aidan couldn’t seem to take his eyes off that envelope.
“That’s it?”
Thomas nodded. “You should have a report in today’s mail, too.”
“I never even thought to check,” he admitted. “Have you read it?”
Thomas shook his head. “Connie thought maybe it was something you and I ought
